Messages

731

VB and the development of wizards / Re: PoppaBear Question SCott??

« on: October 04, 2013, 09:42:44 PM »

The problem with the "write to file" is that mach3 does NOT issue error codes when that occurs. So to the program that processes the points file it cannot tell the difference between an actual trip or an end of motion value. That leaves the points file corrupted. NO point is much better than a corrupt value as far as the point cloud is concerned.

Could be complex, or even 'not possible'.
The ESS (for instance) logs the XYZ values within nanoseconds of the touchprobe signal (which completely ignores the delay introduced by any filter on the line!) and passes the data back to Mach. But I question whether Mach can distinguish between genuine touch-probe data and the end-of-motion values. Yes, to be sure, a design problem. But since V.043.022 manages to get confused between the touch-probe data and the START-probe values, it would seem that the code there may have some very fundamental design faults. Yes. that version of mach can write either value to the data file - and does on my machine.

I find it useful to have the data written to the file whether or not the touch-probe actually touched. I can filter out the end-of-motion data later, and that tells me when I have a problem with the scan path. If you have a multi-megabyte file of points that could be painful, but I don't probe for point clouds at present.

IF you are doing the write to file VIA CB you can do a compare BUT that really SLOWS the process down.

Yes, I am using CB for the file writing, but I hadn't noticed any speed penalty myself. I do probe slowly.

Cheers
Roger

732

VB and the development of wizards / Re: PoppaBear Question SCott??

« on: October 04, 2013, 04:46:08 PM »

NOW IF we could get the "Write to file" corrected so it did NOT write IF the G31 did not trip by the end of motion(endpoint).

Um ... not sure about that one. I can think of situations where having the end-of-motion data could be useful as a warning flag. I am sure that won't apply in every case though. Perhaps it needs to be an option?

Cheers
Roger

733

VB and the development of wizards / Re: PoppaBear Question SCott??

« on: October 04, 2013, 06:43:48 AM »

> DO to another mach3 QUIRK this function cannot be made 100% dependable in all conditions .
Should that read
Due to another mach3 QUIRK Mach3 cannot be made 100% dependable in all conditions ?
:-)

Cheers

734

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 again: Logged data is ... wrong!

« on: September 17, 2013, 06:54:48 PM »

Hi Terry

Not sure myself. Sometimes it did record the Work Coords (ie from the DRO). That seems like a config problem inside Mach to me, or maybe I had stuffed up some Mach work coord setting somehow.
I will spend some time on this today.
Odd
Cheers
Roger

735

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 again: Logged data is ... wrong!

« on: September 17, 2013, 05:07:45 PM »

Hi Terry

The G31 does NOT record in machine coords it uses the Current Work coord base to write values to the file.  NOW if the works coords are the same as the machine coords you would see what appears to be machine coords.

Assuming the Current Work Coords are the program coords displayed on the DROs, then there is a big numerical difference between the two in my case. But sometimes, just sometimes, the displayed program coords are what is saved!
So I think the ESS is working fine. I think.

Cheers
Roger

736

General Mach Discussion / G31 again: Logged data is ... wrong!

« on: September 17, 2013, 04:48:37 AM »

Hi all

Yep, g31 again. I am trying to use a Z axis touch probe to level up some machining jigs.
Dedicated WXP, R3.043.022, ESS
The touch probe has a resolution of about 10 microns. It gets sensed quite happily by the ESS diagnostics and the Mach diagnostics. In fact, I can run the following program quite happily and create a data file as expected.

m1   (Go when ready)
f10
m40                    % open log file
g0 z0
m98 p10 L5         % probe 5 times
m41                    % close log file
g0 z20
m30
%------------
o10
g4 p0.2               % redundant delay
g31 z-2                % probe downwards
g4 p0.2
g0 z0
m99

The program runs, the touch probe creeps down and touches/stops at about -1.2 mm, the Z axis retreats to 0, and the whole thing repeats. A log file is created. So far, so good.

The PROBLEM: the data recorded is the position at Z=0 in machine coordinates! All 5 entries too.
Well, most of the time. A few times the file has contained actual program coordinates for the trigger point.
I have checked #2000-2 and they usually do contain the machine coords as listed in the data file.

Has anyone met this one???

This is all with Probe on 2/15, Active Low, which fits with the diagnostic screens. Interestingly, if I flip the active state to Hi, the subroutine does not even execute. It would seem that m40 or opendigfile() may do a sanity check on the state of the probe input, and abort if it is asserted.

Cheers
Roger

737

General Mach Discussion / Re: one pop then another, no Gecko light

« on: September 12, 2013, 07:20:05 AM »

The grumbling noise, well the others wizz along nice constant high pitched wheeeee. The one with the faulty driver, that's what I am assuming, as the problem moves with it, goes err. errerr eererr. wheeee errerr. errerrerr wheeee err. err. err. Random roughness, stuttering, stopping and starting very quickly... swap the driver and wheeeeeee.

Tempted to suggest one axis may need cleaning, and one phase in the driver has been cooked. Simplest test is to drop a new driver in; even cheaper is to swap one of the other drivers in temporarily.

The X axis can often pick up dirt which then clags the balls in the ball nut. Cleaning all that out is an exercise for a masochist, but it can be done. (Been there, done that.)

Cheers

738

General Mach Discussion / Re: To XP or not to XP

« on: August 10, 2013, 08:24:25 PM »

I was told that to buy a new PC with a printer port was nearly impossible because the new PC have USB ports instead

Sad, but true. Try an Ethernet Smooth Stepper instead (NOT the USB version). More power, much more.

XP may not be compatible with the faster machines

Chuckle. Total crap too. (I am running WXPSP3 on very new machines.)

Place your wallet on the table and tell the vendor that you will buy IF the machine is shipped with WinXPSP3 installed and running. If he can't, go elsewhere.

Theory: MS will have everyone move to Win8 on tablets, and this will revive the PC industry (and help the MS share price too). Some MS execs may even believe this.

Reality: Commercial users (in their millions) are quite happy with WXPSP3 on their existing machines and see no reason to change just to help the MS share price. Why should they - their current HW/SW does what the company needs just fine. The cost in $$ and hours of retraining staff from XP to Win8 would nearly kill many businesses.

Result: even the biggest companies (like Dell) will sell you a new machine with the Win8 disk *attached* (to keep MS happy), but with WXPSP3 installed and running. They will tell you that it is a 'special order', but YOU are the customer.

Cheers

739

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3+Ethernet SmoothStepper+PMDX-122+M880 -> Moves exacly 0,2/0,3mm longer

« on: August 10, 2013, 07:38:43 PM »

could your cutter be 0.2mm under the size you are thinking it is and programming for?

Second thought (based on experience...) could you be mistaking an imperial cutter for a metric one (or vice versa)?

Cheers

740

General Mach Discussion / Re: G83 Random Bug

« on: August 10, 2013, 04:36:34 AM »

The only answer I can think of is to wait for Mach4 or write your
drilling programme long hand.

Yup, custom drilling programs work very well.

Cheers